


Do You Remember Me?

by Astiar



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Amnesia, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Darcy, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky forgets Darcy, F/F, F/M, Kid Darcy Lewis, M/M, Murder, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Temporary Amnesia, The Winter Soldier - Freeform, WinterShock - Freeform, mention of drug use, mention underage drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-07 21:54:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5472056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astiar/pseuds/Astiar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Snapshots of the times in Darcy Lewis' life she met and soulmate and had to watch him leave forgetting about her each time. </p><p>Then the time he could stay.</p><p>Set in a world where the first line your soulmate says is on written on your body. Follow Darcy as she tries to cope with her soulmate never remembering who she is and trying to learn what is happening to him. As she tries to save the stranger she loves Darcy grows into a strong woman that might just be able to put her broken mate back together. </p><p>Starts as a kid fic through post Winter Soldier.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kiwigirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwigirl/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Beat of Our Hearts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5289413) by [kiwigirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwigirl/pseuds/kiwigirl). 



> Since this fics inspiration was a song fic I thought I would use one as the title.  
> Based on Chapter 14 of "The Beat of Our Hearts"

Darcy Lewis was born on an unremarkable day in the middle of the Ides of March. She was part of a typical, unremarkable, family. Lived in a suburb with an older brother that would one day join the army and in the middle of Afghanistan, the only remarkable thing about him being that he was in the same Humvee as Tony Stark when the man was kidnapped. But Darcy was nothing like her family. The most unusual thing was her soul mark. At first it appeared to be just like all everyone else it was there at her birth dark but unreadable by anyone but her and her soul mate.

Her mother refused to repeat the words aloud when she had meticulously, for a 4 year old, copied the letters down for her. The woman looked at her different from that day on, and after the incident a year later her mother became Ann and there would be no salvaging their relationship before the woman was taken by cancer while Darcy was at college. She kept the words though, in her little treasure box, in later years she looked back on them and in a way understood Ann's reaction.

Darcy was five when it happened. She had been at the park with her sitter. The girl was a joke and so long as there was an guy in the area she couldn't care less what Darcy or Adam (her brother) were doing. That's how Darcy ended up nine blocks away with a lolly the size of her head.

She was overly curious and when she heard screaming instead of running away she walked up the steps and through the cracked front door. As she looked around the house, which looked like someone had been having a big party and their mommy was going to be sooo mad, she heard heavy boots descending the steps.

The weapon looked at the small slip of a child. If not for the bright colors of the lolly she appeared oddly sepia with her light tan, dark brown hair and honey eyes. She just looked up at him. The weapon didn't know what to do, no child was on the list. “ _What are you dong here kid?”_ he asked before even thinking about saying anything. 

She just looked up at him stepping closer. He wasn't sure why but he stepped back from the child and ended up tripping and flopping onto the steps. She reached out her innocent fingers and touched a streak of bright red staining his uniform. His eyes widened, the blood on her hand was so wrong to his mind, even though he had no idea why. 

“ _Are you hurt?”_ she asked with such kindness and honest worry in her soft voice that the breath was stolen from him. He began to panic. 

There was something about the girl. He didn't know what, he.... “Ahhh!” He cried pushing past her and fleeing head on fire sharp edges stabbing into his mind. He crashed out the back door trying to ignore the girl giving chase and asking if he needed help. Soon he felt the sting of a needle in his neck. It all faded as he was wiped and the last memory taken was of big honey eyes. 

Darcy was worried about the man. Something felt strange in her chest like he needed her help. She felt deep within herself that she was suppose to follow the man and... do something. So she did all that she knew and called 911 crying for her Daddy. By the time the police arrived to take her home and her Daddy had put her in bed the words written on her left forearm had changed. The next morning she wrote down, the new words and put them in her treasure box next her her scribbled writing of the old ones.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy is a rebel

 That day when she was six changed Darcy's life, and not in good ways, or not in obviously good ways. Her mother ignored her as much as she did that wine stain that wouldn't come out of the hall carpet. Her father was always at business meetings and Adam had graduated high school and was in basic training. As a result Darcy all but raised herself. She had just turned 16 and wanted to have a massive party like Cloe Master had for her Sweet 16. But her mother shot her down just as Darcy knew she would, and her father had waved her off with a “Ask your mother.”

All this ended up with her getting some older kids to buy her some alcohol and trying weed in an industrial park just outside the city limits. The drinks tasted like shit but the smoking helped dull her mind which seemed to always be going a mile a minute on the most useless subjects. She was tested by the school and was found to be a genius, not that she let either of her parents see the results. Darcy found making A's easy but also held the schools record for detentions. She was just so bored by school. Recently she had taken to learning everything there was to know about birds. It was one of many random topics she would fixate on to keep her mind calmer.

She laughed as the blunt was passed again. Everyone already thought she was a stoner why not prove them right? But she didn't want to. So she stood and wondered off, just enough buzzed and high to think walking alone at night was a good idea for a young girl in booty shorts and a too tight tank top.

 

He paused head snapping up from the mission he was completing. He was still as a statue. That was until the scream cut through the air again. The soft pop of his missions neck snapping didn't even reach his ears as he bolted toward the sound of a struggle and a female's screaming for help. He didn't know why but he had to be there had too.... He shook his head thinking on it hurt worse than a sweep of AK47 rounds. So he did what he was made for, reacted.

“Shut up!” A voice shouted. “No one can hear you and if you're not quite you won't be so pretty when we get there.” The sleaze said.

This enraged him like nothing he ever had awakening something in him he had long thought he lost.

The two men that grabbed her were dead and she was surrounded by strong arms before she knew what was going on. “ _Please, Please don't let them hurt me.”_ She begged clinging to the man and weeping.

He wrapped her up close taking in the sent of her dark chocolate hair. Her scent was covered by drugs and alcohol but under those was the sent of apples and cream. It made a pair of warn black eyes and a kind smile come to his mind. He gasp was dragged from him as the memories stabbed, searing.

“God! Are you alright?” she asked pulling back and dark brown met honey once again for the first time in a decade. Darcy thought she recognized those eyes but as soon as their eyes locked the guy looked her over. For a moment her heart sank thinking he would focus on her assets like all the rest.

 _“Why are you naked?”_ He asked casing her to gasp. She would never admit it but those very words were one of the reasons she dressed so skimpy.

“I'm not.” she replied with a pout crossing her arms. His head tilted as he stood with her still in his arms. Normally she would have been shocked and clutched him, but she felt so safe with this guy she didn't even jolt or react more than to lay her head on his shoulder. Her adrenalin from the attempted kidnapping was waining and she was fighting sleep now that she felt safe.

She yawns, blinking up at him as he bent and sat her on several boxes laying on the other side of the alley they were in. The dead guys hidden by their van. Before she could say anything else to him he dropped his coat over her and was loping off at a jog down the ally.

When Darcy was clear enough to call the cops no one believed she had been saved by a sexy ninja with a silver arm. In response Darcy started making ridiculous excuses that even Kakashi would think were too outrageous. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's my aging/ timeline:  
> Darcy is 20 when Stark is kidnapped  
> 24 during Thor, 25 during the Avengers, 26 in Thor 2 and 27 by the Winter Soldier.

 By the end of her first year in college Darcy was known across the campus as holding her drinks like a pro and being the biggest party girl in the school. While nearly every guy in every frat house claimed to have slept with her Darcy had in truth only slept with one guy in her life and that ended before he even finished when her eyes fell on the words across her forearm. They had changed by the morning after her not so sweet 16. She couldn't even smell pot again without thinking of his dark eyes that seemed so lost and in pain.

No one believed her. The few people she had told about her tall, dark and killer mate. They said she was high and that she had some how freaked and killed them in defense. Since there was no trace of this guy, not even finger prints on his jacket. Which she still had hidden in the back of her closet. It had been five years but when she was in a real bad way she would pull it out and bury her nose in the lining his face coming to her as easy as the one in the mirror. The notes where she had written her last two mate words were in the inside pocket, she had added his responses to the backs so that she would never forget.

Don't get her wrong Darcy may be a party girl but she was still on track to graduate Cum Laude. That was until they meet again. Darcy had made friends with her trust fund roomy and got invited to backpack through Asia.

Everything was going great she had made loads of friends, gotten more numbers than he pone could hold and was using her binge anime watching to translate. The scary old lady at the fish market actually gave her a discount when she started screaming at her in Japanese. Thankfully the woman didn't know she was using a speech from Fariy Tail with a few dozen curse words thrown in for effect.

They had made there way up from Indonesia, East to the Philippines then to Taiwan and South Korea. The four of them, Darcy, her room mate and two other 'friends', were suppose to spend their last week in Japan before the plane ride home. Well Darcy got the bright idea that a day trip to Russia was in order. It was not.

The arrival was easy there was a ferry from the Northern trip of Japan to Russia. Not that is was a regular trip or a normal ferry but she worked her charm and a few bucks to the right dude saw her on her way. Looking back Darcy was sure she had had WAY too much sake, because in her mind she could take a little boat ride to Russia see Moscow and make it back to Japan in less than 24 hours. Until she was lost in eastern Russia with no clue where to go and not the foggiest idea how to read or speak Russian did she begin to understand that this country was about twice the size of her own. Four days latter she had found a job waitressing where the youngest kid spoke some English and was teaching her some Russian. Cuss words were as easy to pick up as in any language but having an actual conversation was another story.

That family helped her find another job and she slowly made her way across the vast country over the course of a month. She would have called home but there was no one to call. Adam would be the only one who _might_ have cared and he died sitting shot gun with Tony Stark on the day the man was kidnapped. That had been last summer. Ann had died that fall and her father was more wrapped up in his work and his secretary than ever.

She was sure her plan to be back in the states by start of term wasn't going to fly, find a computer she could work to tell her school that? Harder than making friends in a country who's language you didn't speak.

She was about two days drive to Moscow when this whole thing went to shit. A building she was walking past exploded. Not from a bomb, from a man being thrown through it. All stood there in shock not sure what to do but something in her gut said screaming and running was the worst idea.

 _“Can't you stay out of trouble?”_ She asked as her soul mate stood from the rubble.

He looked at her like he had never seen her before. Darcy expected it. She had done her research, the only time a mate's words change is if the other is dead and you have another potential out there or if your mate suffers from amnesia. With the blood she had seen him dipped in both... all three times they had met she guessed it was the latter. “You really need to work on not getting so many head injuries.” She added with a smile and a wave pushing her hair back from her face.

He stalked toward her menacingly but again Darcy had no fear of her deadly mate. He yanked her glasses off looking into her eyes. With out looking away he spoke in a dark, terrifying voice. “Don't even think of laying a hand on her.” His eyes left hers and cut to the right, where he had been thrown from.

“Таким образом, даже машины имеют подруг? (So even machines have girl friends)” The man replied with a gun nearly as long as Darcy was tall.

“мат на самом деле. (Mate actually)” Darcy replied with a glare at the guy “так отвалить. (So fuck off)” she added leaning into her mate.

The man just laughed and aimed his gun at her. “I like you.” He said with a very thick accent. “Do bad you have to …...” The man didn't get to finish the sentence not that Darcy would have heard it from the ringing in her ears. She had never heard a gun go off in real life. She yelped in shock putting her hands to her mouth eyes glued on the dead guy.

“You shot him.” She said not being able to look away from the pool of almost black liquid forming beneath him.

“ _Who are you, why did I protect you_?” Her mate asked.

“You're my mate.” She answered looking back up at him. Yes he had just killed a guy but what bothered Darcy was how little it bothered her. She stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek.

He put his normal hand in her hair pulling it to his nose and taking a long breath eyes closed. She leaned into him letting him do whatever. He caressed the back of her neck and Darcy all but melted letting out a contented groan.

He released her grunting in pain and holding his head. His eyes ran over her like they had last time. “At least you're wearing more clothes Doll.”

“Darcy. Are you alright?” She said coming closer and looking for wounds. She found one on his arm and watched in shock as it began to heal slowly but still much faster than a human should.

The man jerked back. “Monsters don't have mates Doll.” He said jogging off into the destroyed building. Darcy watched him go sadly with pain in her heart. Somehow she knew he would forget her again and she would have a new phrase in no time. But she made a decision right then and there amid the carnage. Even if this time it changed because he was dead Darcy would never love anyone else.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just go with it please


	4. Chapter 4

She eventually made it to Moscow and with her charm turned up to 11 she earned enough for a plane to the states and was able to backpack across her own country and be home by Christmas. That put her behind a year and she had to hear from her roomy that some giant green 'thingy' (the roomies word) had smashed a bottling plant.

While Darcy was sad to miss the excitement she couldn't wish away time with her mate. She took several art classes next semester and her end of term project was a painting of him in all his terrifying glory.

Between her time in Russia and taking a term of 'fluff' classes Darcy ended up as a fifth year senior four science credits shy of her degree. So she used the hacking skills she had built since she was 16 looking for her mystery mate to find a cake walk internship for the summer.

It takes a few weeks for the two to mesh. Darcy with her spaztic mind and lack of intersect in space and Jane with her love of _ALL_ the science and _ALL_ the space. Eric was easier to deal with he quickly became a loving uncle and her a devoted niece.

All was good up until Jane ran over a god and she tased him.

Those couple months in Russia was surprisingly good practice fore dealing with Thor. Here was a giant guy that while he spoke the language didn't seen to understand it's context in any way. He was a cross between a lovable puppy and one of the shop owners in Moscow that always shouted at her for flirting her way into discounts from his son.

Watching Jane and Thor fall in love was both sweet and heart breaking. She ran her fingers along the new set of words on her arm. They were a source of hope and worry. Her active imagination had given her all kinds of sick tortures that could be done to mutants (that what she assumes he is) and no one would really care.

“SO where is he?” A voice asked from above.

“Have no clue.” She replied sadly looking up at the agent. He was still watching over them even though Thor had given up trying to break into get his hammer. “And no that isn't what it says.”

He chuckled.

“I didn't think you agent types could laugh. Don't pull something.”

“We can laugh when we want. Clint Barton.” He offered

“Seeing as you stole my ipod I'm sure you already know who I am.”

“Darcy Lewis, 24, here for science credits.”

“Which I had better get or I'll tase you.”

He leaped down and held up his hands in surrender. “Have you met them” He said going back to the original topic.

“Do you want to talk about your mate?” She asked eyebrow raised

“She's my best friend and the most beautiful woman I have ever met. And I will say that again if you ever meet my partner.” Clint told her with a roguish grin.

She sighed and pushed back her hair. “Yeah we've met. But we never get the chance to talk. He always has to run off somewhere.”

“Then he doesn't deserve your mark.” Clint replied darkly.

Darcy turned and smacked him with all her weight behind it. “Don't you ever say something like that again!” She shouted “You! You don't talk about him!” She defended. Her yelling drawing Thor and Jane's attention

“Lady Darcy? Are you well?” Thor asked stepping toward her.

“I'm fine.” She said angrily stomping off with tears in her eyes.

“What did you do to her?” Jane demanded her massive mate backing her.

“I... I just said she deserved a good mate.” he replied shocked by her reaction more than the hit.

Jane looked down and sighed. “There's something wrong with her mate.” She said sadly. “We don't talk about it.”

Clint nodded and varnished back onto the roof.

A couple days latter he dropped down with a cup of coffee and an extra large blueberry muffin. “I'm sorry.” He said.

Darcy sighed. “Jane said something?” She asked as much as stated. He nodded. “I don't know what's wrong with him but he had some kind of chronic amnesia. He can't remember me.” She said her heart breaking a little at saying it out loud. Talking to this agent who might have as many kills in his ledger as her mate was kinda nice.

From that revelation they chatted and actually formed a good friendship between then and when the destroyer attacked. He never brought up her mate again.

Once the destroyer was well destroyed and she had her ipod and phone back Darcy still kept in contact with Clint. He had added a massive (probably illegal) memory chip for all her numbers, his and his partners were in there now two.

The first text from Nat (which was the name Clint had put her under) was a very odd, _Lewis, Barton said we were friends now._ That was it. 

Soon she was learning to read Russian via text. The two grew very close over the next year as she was moved from Jane's intern to Jane's SHIELD liaison. The new job came with a super high tech taser from Mama Bear (AKA Coulson). 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sad ending for this chapter

Over a year passed with Darcy caring for a lovesick Jane and helping her get on with her research. It was all going really well she was getting paid by SHIELD to forward any of the doctors findings, which she edited heavily. Chatted with Nat and Clint via text, snapchat and skype. Snapchat with assassins is really a mixed bag she found. Clint sent her snaps of his various wounds and several times some kind of blue glowy cube that made her very uncomfortable. Nat sent equal parts cooking that made her salivate and weapons of all make and model. So she was never sure if they were going to be brownies or a Browning, or knife, bow, grenade launcher.

 

Darcy hadn't been paying attention when Jane said she was riding with the equipment. That was till the van pulled out with Darcy still on the curb. “Shit” She said pulling up Jane's location. It was suppose to be a dating app that let you know where your beau was but it worked just as well with absent minded pining bosses. She understood that a mate being absent after consummation could cause symptoms of withdraw, hell her and her mate hadn't even done it and she still felt the effects from time to time. Her mind always told her he was in peril when those feelings hit. Darcy hoped not because she was having them more and more since they had last met. She prayed to gods she didn't believe in and ones she now knew that he was alright. But still every night before bed she checked her arm to make sure her mark was still there.

As she was walking through Prague. Why they were there? Darcy had no clue. Jane saw some blip on one of her things, Darcy called Mama Bear and bam Prague. She didn't feel like a cab and the weather was nice so she was just strolling. Jane would wrangle the taxi guy into helping her unload and maybe puppy dog eye him into helping her set it all up. They really needed some muscle. Dacy decided she should hire someone to lunge all Jane's crap for them. Some of those boxes weighted more then Jane does.

Darcy must have been day dreaming because she only stopped walking in the middle of one of the bridges crossing the river. She leaned on the railing watching the water. That was until she saw him. Her mate was on a rather open boat fighting two goons as the craft sailed toward her.

Part of her brain told her to jump aboard and help him. Then common sense kicked in and she raced off the bridge jogging along the river to keep pace with the craft. It wasn't hard even after the goons were taken care of and her mate was driving.

Eventually he pulled the boat into a small dock on her side of the river and jumped ashore. He stalked toward her danger rolling off him like mist over the water. But she jut stood there smiling. When he got close enough she pulled off her glasses and looked up at him with her wide honey eyes. That stopped him dead all menace leaving him as if it had never been.

_“When are you going to stop running from me?”_ she asked coming close. She pulled off his mask so she could see his whole face. Marveling at being able to do so for the first time. 

_“I don't run Doll.”_ the pet name obviously threw him because he paused and looked at her confused. Like a cat tilting it's head when it hears a funny noise. 

She just smiled and stood on her tip toes to kiss him. Even if he didn't know who she was or why she was here he still responded leaning into the kiss and wrapping his arms around her. She ran her hands up both his arms her lack of fear of him and his metal monstrosity was odd as well, but her tongue pushing past his lips stopped all thought.

There wasn't even the slight remembrance of joy in him but if he ever knew the emotion he guessed holding her was what it felt like. 

Dacy pulled back and linked there fingers dragging him off. “We are getting lunch before you vanish again.” She commanded

He just nodded doing as he was told. Following her order was easy his whole being wanted to give her any thing she asked for. 

“What's your name?” she asked. It had been killing her to have known him for nearly 20 years and not know his name.

“The Winter Soldier.” He replied with no emotion in his voice.

Darcy shivered. She had heard that name, a Russian bogey man told to small children. “That's a title not a name.”

“I.... I....” HE groaned and held his head. “Don't... remember.

Darcy pulled him to her and shushed him. “Shh Shh it's ok. Don't worry about. Don't think about it.” She had finally put the pieces together. When he started to remember he ran. “You like to call me Doll so I'll call you Babe. Is that alright?”

He nodded head still laid on her shoulder. She stood there enjoying running her fingers through his hair for a while. “Come on lets get some grub before my boss realizes I'm gone and panics.”

He nodded again letting her take his hand and lead him to the nearest restaurant. They had a pretty good meal Darcy kept up most of the conversation and quickly changed subjects whenever he seemed in pain. 

Darcy had to pay, the assassin had no cash on him but she didn't care. She kept holding his hand just chattering and walking by his side. 

“Your are one talkative dame.” he said with a very slight New York lit. 

“That I am my good mate.” she replied with a smile. 

He stopped standing still as a statue. “Not good. I am anything but good.” His voice dead once again. 

She sighed. “You are good to me and burning the whole world won't change that.” Darcy told him firmly. “Why don't you come with we? Stay with me and Jane.” She asked looking up at him.

He cupped her cheek looking her strait in the eye with such sadness. “They would kill you. I have no doubt they know who you are and everything about your life. They allow this because I won't remember when it's over and no one would believe you.”

Tears ran from here eyes. “I'll save you. I will save you.”

As she said it she jerked slightly and began to collapse two darts in he neck. “Bucky. I.... Bu....” He said as the drugs took effect.

She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed repeating that she would find him and she'd save him. She stayed with him until four men in uniform with with looked like some kind of tentacle beast on it came and took him away. Darcy wanted to fight more than she wanted anything in her life. But she didn't Some part of her knew that he was right. If she was more than a distraction they would kill her and no one would save him. No one would save Bucky. 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You won't like Darcy when she's angry

Darcy called Nat. A real call not a text or skype. She answered on the last ring. “Lewis what's going on?” She asked voice tight with worry.

“I saw something yesterday.” Darcy sighed. “I want you to teach me. Natasha I want you to teach me to be like you.”

“Darcy why would you want something like that? What happened?” There was a growl to her voice that Darcy associated with her wanting to hit something.

“There are some bad men I want killed.” She replied her voice as icy as her mate and even coming from a 150 pound poli sci major it sounded just as deadly.

Natasha was silent.

“I want to do it myself Nat. I want to watch the life leave them.”

The assassin shivered. “What did they do to you?” She asked wondering what could have happened to make such a sweet girl want to kill.

“They took something precious from me and I want it back. It might take years and my life but it's worth it.” She said with conviction.

She didn't ask. She had a few guesses but knowing the one thing than can push a person over the edge as this had pushed Darcy was too powerful to know. “Clint's missing.” she said

“Do what?” Darcy asked that cold rage in her voice once more.

“He had his mind taken over by Loki.” She told the other girl even if Darcy had nowhere near the clearance to know that. “On the plus side Capitan America is going to be working for us.”

Darcy chuckled sounding more like herself. “Maybe he'll have your magic words.” She said. Nat hadn't met her mate yet and THE all American gentleman would be just what her friend needed.

“Maybe but I”m flying to Calcutta for another member right now so that will have to wait.”

Darcy nodded sure the spy could tell even if she couldn't see her. “You go get them and get our boy back. Kick Loki in the nads a time or two for me if you get the chance.”

“Will do. We'll start training as soon as this is all over.”

“Call me the nanosecond it is. Even before showers and I'll have Jane on a plane back over. She needs to see Thor. I... I'm scared she's going to get sick from her longing if she doesn't”

“I will. The moment the last one drops I'll ring you.”

“Be safe Nat. Can't be losing my sister to aliens.”

“Don't worry once I have you at my disposal you'll see why.”

“I know how badass you are Nat, but I want to be able to take you and Clint both before I think I can tackle these guys.”

“I'll teach you everything I can. We're landing.” She said cutting the call. Nat worried about her new and old friends now. She hoped it would all work out.

 

Natasha did just as she said and called as soon as soon as Stark mentioned Shwarma.

Darcy answered on the second ring. “Done?” She said hopeful.

“Who are you calling when I just died?” Stark asked looking up at her.

She ignored him. “Done and safe.” She replied hanging up.

Dacy dialed a number she wasn't even suppose to have. “Grumpy. Hi it's Darcy. I need a plane to NY now. Not when the airports open again but now.”

“Miss Lewis how did you get this number?” Fury replied in a deadpan voice he usually only needed with Stark.

“I piggy backed when Tony hacked you like I knew he would. So plane have it at the airport when I get there. Jane is seeing her man if I have to get Nat to give him the phone and fly over here. Which do you want me and Jane in New York or Thor loose in Prague with Loki because we know he won't leave his brother in your care.”

Fury sighed. “Be there in 15.” How he was out played by a poli sci with no training worried him. But then he recalled how she had his three top agents wrapped around her fingers. Well two if Coulson didn't make it.

 

Thor was ecstatic when a quinjet opened to revel Jane and Darcy. “Lady Darcy.” He said with a wide smile and a hug. “My Jane.” He added lovingly as they embraced.

Darcy meanwhile ran into Clint's arms and hugged him tight. “Are you ok?” she asked crying and trying to look him over for any injury. What little she knew sounded too much like her Bucky.

“I'm fine. All I needed with a hard hit upside the head. Nat was more then happy to oblige.” he joked.

“Don't joke.” She said serious. “Never joke about losing your memory or control. I...”

He pulled her close again. “I promise.” AS soon as she spoke he remembered her mate having some kind of amnesia. He coughed. “Well this is Capitan America. The Star Spangled Man.”

“With a plan?” Darcy added with a smile. “I did a paper on you in college. Recycled it a few time for different classes too. I'm Darcy Lewis I work for Dr. Jane Foster who is currently attached at the lips to her alien prince.” she said holding out her hand.

“A please Miss Lewis.” He replied shaking it.

“You don't have to be so formal. I assume you helped save this idiot.” He nodded “Then you're practically family. I've adopted these two even if I haven't been able to hack Stack to get the paper work put threw yet.” she half joked

“So you're with that conglomeration sneaking it's way into my programing. Never that you would be this gorgeous.” Tony said kissing her hand.

“My mate would eat you alive.” she replied yanking her hand back. “And nope. If you mean K!ttyCon then nope it's all me”

“All you? As in one person? One little girl?”

“Girls can code too. If I can best your encryption I can.... TAKE OVER THE WORLD! MWAHAHA!” She said dramatically like a bad B movie villain.

Clint and Nat chuckled, the Capitan smiled and Tony just blinked.

“You're off to a good start Miss. Lewis.” Furry said from the door way.

“Grumpy!” She exclaimed coming over and hugging him. “Nice to meet you in the flesh. Where's Mama Bear?” she asked looking for the man.

“Coulson...” Clint said looking down.

“He didn't make it.” Nat finished.

“Loki?” she asked. The woman nodded. “THOR!” the man jumped away from Jane at the bellow. “Get your brother off my planet or I will castrate him with a spoon!” she demanded glaring at the alien.

“What?” Jane asked straitening her sweater. “What happened?”

“Loki magiced Clint, tried to take over the world and killed Mama Bear.” She listed.

“Agent Coulson is dead?” she asked choking up. “He was so kind.” she added with a sob holding onto Thor.  
“I am sorry for my brother's deeds dear Jane. He will be punished for what he had done. I can understand how just must hurt Lady Darcy with your mates mind not his own.”

“Thor please. I really don't want to talk about him right now.” she closed her eyes thinking about how he looked so scared when she asked him to run away. She'd find them whoever they were and stop them. Maybe sick the Avengers on them.... only if she could get Bucky out first.

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all the typos. I'll edit this once it's finished.

The shrink Fury made Jane see when Thor left just two days after they arrived said it was one of hundreds of ways her separation stress could present. Dacy said the guy was grasping at straws. Most of the studies on separation stress and anxiety were based on distance between the mates. No one had a clue how that would work when their bond was stretch across the stars.

 

The day Jane left for her first session Clint cornered Darcy. “What is with you?” He asked. “You act like you've been brain washed.”

“What do you mean?” she replied honestly having no clue what Clint was talking about.

“On the Helicarrier and now here. You aren't acting like Darcy. You're acting so obnoxious and out of character.”

Darcy fell quite and thought about the past few days. She really evaluated her responses to others. She sighed. “You're right.” She said rubbing her face. “I didn't even realize I was doing it. I'm sorry.” Dacy leaned on him.

“So what's up?” he asked wrapping his arms around her. There was only a six year age gap but Clint still saw her as more of a daughter than a sister. But he had also learned that Darcy neither wanted nor needed a father figure. He and Natasha had dug into her past. It wasn't hard to come to the conclusion that her father, while still living with them was emotionally absent.

“Everyone likes a party girl.” She said into his shoulder. “Fun Darcy that drinks too much and flirts too much and is loud and crude.” She listed.

“You're hiding.” Natasha stated stepping from the shadows where she had been listening in. “It's not uncommon in children that have been emotionally neglected.”

“Yeah usually they turn out like you or Nat.” Clint added with a grin. Both women hit him in the arm. “Ow!” He said rubbing both biceps.

“I know.” Darcy said. “I did have a minor in psychology. Acting out to gain the attention I was never given. I didn't even realize I was still doing it.”

“And trying to cover for all the hurt from your mate.” Nat added. Darcy nodded sadly.

“How many times have you seen him?” Clint asked “Does he remember?”

Darcy sighed and leaned more on him. Clint wrapped her up in he arms again, Natasha placed her and on her back in support as well. “I've met him four times. He can't remember. Someone is taking his memories. I'm going to find them and make them pay for hurting him.”

Clint looked more shocked than Natasha. He knew the world was a dark place but there were lows he still couldn't believe humanity had sunken to. Natasha didn't feel the same. Being raised as she didn't doubt the inhumane things humans could do to each other.

“I wonder how they do it without killing him?” The red head asked after a moment of silence.

“I'm pretty sure he's a mutant. He was hurt one of the time we met and I watched as he wound closed in a matter of minutes.” Darcy replied. “The only other thing I know about him is he might be from New York. The last time we were together and he started to remember he had an accent, and he calls me Doll.” She said the last with a smile pulling back to touch her arm with the new mark in it. She didn't give them his name, not due to lack of trust, but because she was sure it was a nickname and therefore no help in finding him.

“That's not much to go on, but I'll put a call into Professor X when this all calms down. Maybe he can track him down.” Clint said hopefully with a last squeeze before letting her go. They chatted on lighter topics as the three walked back to the common room.

Her and Jane stayed at Stark Tower, now the Avengers Tower for three months before Jane started getting restless. Darcy kept a closer eye on her attitude and began acting more like her normal self. Tony made a comment on the change but Darcy just told the truth, that she was getting to know them and being her real self again.

Dacy didn't put things together. Even becoming close with Steve. She never even guessed that her Bucky and his were one and the same.

 

 

The next year passed much as the last had only without her seeing Bucky again. She assumed he was out there somewhere being sent to kill people then his mind wiped again and again. On dark lonely nights when Jane was too lost in her own grieving Dacy wondered if there was anything left of Bucky to save. Some of those nights she also wondered if she was the mate of The Winter Soldier, master assassin, murderer and what ever else he may be. Or Bucky, the man neither of them even knew. On good days she told herself they were one and the same. That Bucky was the man that had been forced into the roll of the monster. That she would love all sides of him.

She wasn't a naive child though. Darcy knew the marks they shared didn't guarantee them happiness. It just showed then their best chance at building it. “Hard to build when you can't see the foundation.” She told the mirror in their London hotel.

Jane had just heard of some warehouse where something weird was happening. Alien weird, they hoped. More than once in all the traveling about their leads turned out to be mutant in nature, or pure fiction.

This time it wasn't.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Super short and in Bucky's POV

 He had been defrosted for another mission. It was time for the end game. He could only tell it had been awhile since his last mission by the sluggish response in his metal arm. Even with the latest upgrade using something the doctors called Stark nanotech it still didn't react well to being frozen.

The doctors were arguing near by. There was something wrong with his other arm. He didn't know what. It was the same as ever, he thought. Meaningless words down his arm. He looked at it.

There was something wrong with them. He didn't know what or care, wasn't part of the mission. But the change had the doctors in a tizzy.

“We are too close for this to be happening.” One said. “We should sent him to clean her up first.”

“You can't do that.” The woman said. She was the head doctor and cruel beyond measure.

“Why not?” another responded. “It would solve all our problems and have him fighting fit.”

The woman slapped him knocking the man to the floor. “Idiot. No one and nothing can force someone to kill their mate. It has happened on accident in the past. But the moment he gets close enough to her to do the kill his body will stop him. It may even break our control.”

Several of the doctors and soldiers shivered. “Protecting her was the only reason he came back last time.” one of the quiet ones said, he was one of the few that didn't seem afraid. “The girl makes a good bargaining chip so long as we keep her safe and away from him.”

“Yes, yes Ivan.” The woman said. “Sending those false reports so that her and her mistress weren't even in the same hemisphere was a good idea. And cost us nothing.”

“And it's also a good thing she's in New York since the good doctor has been off world.” Ivan replied

“Yes, having Dr. Foster in Asgard is very handy right now.” Pierce said. He was the new head of Hydra. “Keeps that idiot 'god' our of our hair. And don't worry. Once Insight is up and running he will be decommissioned.

“I've already looked, the girl is an asset.” Ivan said with a sinister smirk. “So that will take care of her as well.

“Now. Soldier, this is your target.” Pierce handing over a photo of a black man in an eye patch. “Make sure he's dead.”

With a nod the solider stood and left the room to get his gear on.   


	9. Chapter 9

Darcy was ecstatic about getting out of New York. She had moved into the new Avengers Tower when Jane took Thor's offer to live on Asgard for a few years and learn how to be a princess. After all the stress of Jane being attacked by psycho elves Darcy was happy wrangling Bruce for a while.

Dr. Banner was so sweat with a dry wit. She tried to make sure he didn't put himself down too much. Last week his mate and fiancée Betty Ross had moved in. They were sickeningly, rot your teeth cute.

Tony on the other hand, was hard to deal with on a good day, but three days ago he and Reed Richards got into it. Richards made a comment about Pepper that Tony didn't like. Tony's mate, Rhodey, even if the billionaire refused to acknowledge they were more than friends with benefits, was the only thing stopping a total war between the two geniuses. So Darcy was glad for the invite out to DC with Nat and Steve. Let Pepper and Rhodey deal with Tony for a while. She was more then sure Betty and Bruce were too wrapped up in each other to even notice the tension.

 

She arrived at Nat's apartment to find her friend completely zoned out. So much so that when she touched her on the shoulder Natasha flipped her onto the ground and had her in a hold before she realized who Darcy was.

“Sorry.” She said softly releasing Darcy and moving off her.

“No worries.” Darcy replied getting up and rolling her shoulder. “I should have known better, but when you didn't answer me calling your name I got worried. What's going on in there?” she asked poking Nat's forehead.

“I met him.” She replied with a faint pink on her cheeks rubbing over the words.

“Here in DC?” Nat gave a slight nod. “Is he a super villain?” Nat shrugged. “Of course he isn't a super villain. He's your mate so he has to be great. Is he hot?”

She shrugged again being unusually shy. “He's not ugly.”

“What's his name?” Darcy asked. You might say she's a glutton for punishment but seeing all her friends with their mates made her equal parts happy and longing. She wished her and Bucky could have that, but they would one day, she had to keep telling herself that.

“Sam. Samuel Thomas Wilson. He's friends with Steve, I think.” Natasha said.

“Thomas?” Darcy chuckled. She felt honored that Natasha trusted her enough to show how insecure she was about finally meeting her mate. “If he's friends with the Cap then he can't be all bad. I'm surprised you haven't looked him up on the highly immoral SHIELD database.”

“People might put things together and realize he's my mate. From the look on his face he didn't even realize it when I said his words.” She said a bit annoyed.

“Nat, you are very intense. Maybe he was so focused on you it slipped past him. But I'm sure by now he has realized and will ask Steve about you, and come looking for you.”

“For what?” She said with a touch of anger. “I'm no prize. I might be pretty but that's all I have to offer a mate. If he just wants a trophy I don't want him.”

“You are not doing this.” she said firmly. Nat was usually very self aware but when it came to her true self not so much. Somethings Natasha didn't even know who she really was anymore. “You are amazing, kind and sweat in subtle ways that people just don't appreciate. And you're a hell of a cook. They say the way to a mans heart is through his stomach.” Darcy said tickling the other woman on the belly. It didn't get a reaction, but Nat had been trained not to respond to such things.

The corner of her lips did turn up. “Just what I need a house husband growing fat on my cooking.”

“Oh hell no. He's going to work, probably for Stark once he learns who you are. He'll take care of you and your half dozen adopted kids. Take you around the world to exotic places that you've only seen the bad side of and love every little quirk of yours even more than Clint and I do.” Darcy declared.

“Who's going to let the Black Widow adopt kids?” She asked with a full smile and a head shake.

“The Professor. Little mutant babies would be in less danger from our crazy lives than a regular kid.” Darcy replied

“You have my whole life planned out?” she ask eyebrow raised.

“You should see the binder I have for your wedding. I've got it all worked out.” She said mostly joking. Darcy didn't have a binder, but she had thought about what kind of wedding would suit Natasha when her and Betty where talking about the Banner wedding planned for this Christmas. The thought of kids was another thing her and Betty discussed. Betty was 85% sure the gamma rays had rendered Bruce sterile. The two of them most likely couldn't have children. Dr. Hank McCoy, who had over heard them with his sensitive ears, was the one to make the suggestion. Since the gifted school was now semi public knowledge parents of mutant kids have been abandoning them on the Professor's door step and they didn't have the facilities for that many young children and babies.

There discussion was cut off by a call from Cap. Fury had been shot.

 

They rushed to the hospital. There the two of them found Maria and Steve waiting on them. Darcy pulled Nat into her arms and sobbed on her. She didn't know Fury very well but was crying for her friend who couldn't. Nat wasn't one to show such emotions in public.

Steve got called away by some jar head. Darcy didn't like the looks of the guy, there was something about him that set her on edge. Once all the STRIKE team had left the hospital Hill stood by Darcy and Natasha for a few more moments of silence for their fallen leader before heading out to handle the arrangements.

Nat looked up seeming to compose herself and glanced around. She moved to the snack machine and started swiping her card. Darcy looked at her. Natasha was a food snob when not on a mission and refused to eat anything packaged, processed or preserved (artificially).

She was buying gum. Natasha hates gun, she told Darcy once that it was a disgusting habit and she was not putting flavored tar in her mouth. That comment intrigued Darcy so she had looked it up want gum is made of and threw out her whole stash. Finally she saw what the other woman was after. It was a drive, probably left by Steve.

Natasha took the drive to a near by library where they plugged it in to see what was on it. She wasn't sure weather it was a message from Steve or if it was something Fury had given him before he died. When it opened they both knew it was the later. Steve was no tech guru or hacker so there was no way he wrote this. That and Darcy noticed a tracking program in the code running across the screen. They pulled the drive out right away and left the library. As they were walking the park across the street they saw three agents go into the building they had just exited.

Natasha ordered her to go back to the apartment and pack as quickly as she could. She told Darcy a few of the little mementos she had here in DC she wanted Darcy to take too. Darcy was then to get the hell out of Dodge. Take the first flight from the nearest airport and then the next. On the third landing call Stark.

Seeing as SHIELD was looking for that drive she was not arguing. Steve and Nat could take care of themselves. All she had was her taser and a few skills Nat and Clint had been able to teach her between missions. They would work against muggers or drunks not trained agents.

 

Their plan didn't go accordingly. Darcy hadn't even opened her suitcase by the time agents kicked in the door. She tried to fight and scream for help but was quickly drugged. She sent up a prayer for Nat and Steve as she lost consciousness.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end is nigh. One more chapter and that's the epilogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky may be a bit OOC and I'm sorry for that.

Darcy woke with a pounding head and dry mouth. She blinked her eyes open slowly her brain felt like it was full of cotton candy. As she slow sat up and looked around the room she was in things started to clear. She began to recall the attack and the library, and Fury's death.

“Shit.” She said aloud. Where ever she was the room was small the only light coming from under the door. She quickly got to her feet when she heard Hill come over the speakers. Hydra, fucking Hydra had taken over SHIELD. Steve was going to flip. He'd all but destroyed them back in WWII to know that SHIELD had let them come back and fester in their own agency was going to royally piss him off.

Darcy froze. Hydras are multi headed beasts. If Hydra was the one keeping her Bucky Steve needed to take a number for kicking their ass.

 

She felt around the door jam and was glad that it opened out. She turned the handle as softly as possible and moved it just a hair so it wouldn't catch again. Darcy then backed to the other side of the closet and took a deep breath. She rushed the door slamming it open with all she had.

Her move caught the guard by surprise and she had him tased with her bracelet before he could recover. Darcy palmed him gun and comm device before trying to find her way out. She had never shot a person, but after one boyfriend in college tried to use her as a punching bag she had taking classes and had a license to carry. Pulling out her empty gun on said ex ended that relationship rather quickly.

She moved around cautiously looking for a way out. What she found was the air strip...... and Bucky.

She saw him walking toward the strip with a grenade launcher over his shoulder. She rushed toward him throwing the gun aside. Darcy knew she wouldn't even bee able to point it at him. That and she didn't know how he would react to a weapon mate or not.

 

Darcy put on speed as he pulled the weapon from his shoulder and aimed at the pilots. She slide to a stop between them throwing her arms wide to stop him.

 _“Don't get between me and my mission Doll.”_ He said the words in his usual flat voice.

 _“Bucky, you remember me.”_ She replied with a smile lowering her arms and coming closer.

“Don't get between me and my mission.” This time he said it with a touch of anger.

“Do you know what your mission is?” She asked standing right before him the launcher now lax at his side.

“Kill Rodgers.” He replied easily.

Darcy choked. She shook her head. “I can't let you do that Bucky.”

“Who's Bucky?” Darcy gasped at the strong bite of jealousy in those words.

“You are.” She replied pointing at him.

“I'm the Winter Soldier, the asset, the weapon, not Bucky.”

Darcy gave a sad smile and moved forward. She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him down for a kiss. “You are my mate, I don't care what you call yourself.”

“Weapons don't have mates.” He replied stepping back from her.

“You are not a weapon. Not anymore. Hydra is going down and this time they'll stay that way.”

He looked down at her and for the first time since she came over she was sure he saw her. His eyes softened just a little. “They'll kill you if you get in the way of my mission.”

“Do you know what they are planning? Did you hear what Maria said?” He nodded. “Then I'm as good as dead. Those things are going to target me just like all the rest. So do your mission and I die or stay here and protect me from them.” She told him.

His face turned hard as steel. Bucky spun on his heels and jogged back into the Triskelion. Darcy chased after him. She was not losing him this time. She caught up to him in time to see Bucky taking down Hydra agents as he headed for the top floor.

After a few flights Darcy said fuck it and took the elevator. There was no way she could keep up with him taking that many fights three stairs at a time. She exited the elevator two floors below the top one because that was as high as her security clearance went. Bucky was by her side by the time she climbed the final two cases.

He slammed into Pierce's office gun in hand splattered in blood from the kills he had made on the way up. He didn't even look at Fury or Natasha. “Is my mate a target?!” HE demanded closing the space between him and the other man.

“Darcy?” Nat asked looking at here where she was standing near the door letting him work. This guy would have everyone she loved killed watching Bucky take him out didn't even phase her.

“Hey, so my mate's the Winter Soldier. Sorry I never told you.” She replied with a strained smile and a wave.

Nat shook her head and refocused on the situation. “IF you kill his we can't stop Hydra.” Fury said seeming unfazed by the recently defected assassin. .

There was a pair of bangs as the trigger on his gun was pulled. Pierce fell to the ground screaming as both his knee caps were shot. Bucky just stared at him. “When you're done I want him.”

Nat's eyebrow rose and she looked back at Darcy. There was a bit of approval in the other womans face which made Darcy beam. She moved up and wrapped her arm around his waist. “This one I want. He's one of the people that hurt you and I want to kill him myself.”

Bucky looked down at her for a long silent moment. “No. You are not becoming like me.”

“I'll let you have him if you promise not to leave my side again.” she replied standing on tip toes to kiss his cheek. There was a small nod from the man.

When Fury and Nat said they need his retinal scan Bucky man handled him to the scanner. Then snapped his neck she they said it was done.

The world security council had there own helicopter to get out of the mess caused by the falling helicarriers so Darcy and Bucky joined Fury and Nat in theirs. Bucky to the copilot seat while the girls were in the back.

“You couldn't have said, to your Russian friend, that your mate is a Russian fairy tale?” She asked as they were flying to meet Steve and someone called Falcon.

“Well I don't like to think of his as a scary bedtime story. Until he told me the name Bucky I just called him my mate.” She replied. “I didn't keep it from you on purpose.”

Natasha nodded. She knew how little Darcy wanted to talk about her mate. She had defended the girl several times from Stark trying to get information out of her.

“How long have you known what he is?” Fury asked from the front.

“Since I was five. That's when we first met.” She replied

“You knew he was an assassin when you were five?” Nat replied getting a bit enraged.

“No I knew he was my mate since I was five.” She replied. Darcy couldn't see the small upturning of Bucky's mouth. She knew what Fury was asking but there was no way she was going to have her mate insulted.

“You know what he's asking.” Nat replied with a soft smile.

“Yes. I've known he was forced to be the Winter Soldier since Russia. Don't insinuate my mate did anything wrong. Hydra made him do monstrous things, they did NOT make him a monster.” She replied with force.

“Forgive me if I'm not bosom buddies with the trained killer that blew me up then shot me.” Fury replied in his normal sarcastic way.

“You don't have to be but as a former master spy you do know how to keep your fucking mouth shut!” She shouted with a dark glare.

Nat gasped. “You've imprinted.” She said.

“What?” Darcy asked looking at her odd.

“Imprinting, when two mates grow close enough to share facial expressions, personality traits, sometimes even skills and thoughts. But that's usually only for mate that have been together for years, and been... sexual.”

“I know what imprinting is.” Darcy told her. “Why do you think we have?”

“Your increased aggression when you called me just before New York. That face you just made. It's the same one he was wearing when he came into Pierce's office. And you've been showing symptoms of withdraw while living with us.” Natasha ticked off.

“B... But how? We've never done more than kiss?” Darcy replied.

“Mates can imprint at a faster rate when one or both are in a stressful situation.” Maria said through their comm units, Bucky and Darcy having been given one as they boarded the copter.

“That makes sense. The only times we have ever met was under stress. From me nearly being raped to watching him shoot a guys brains out. Though watching Hydra drag him away was probably what did it. That's when I snapped and called you.” Darcy said to Natasha.

Before anyone could respond Steve and some other guy joined them and Fury was taking off again.

“Bucky?” Steve asked.

Bucky stiffened hands clinching on the stick. Darcy moved and put both hands on her mates shoulders. “It's ok.” she whispered in his ear laying her head on his. “He doesn't know that name.” She said at normal volume.

“He can call himself Jingles the Clown for all I can so long as he doesn't try to kill us again.” the other man said.

Darcy whipped her head around. “Keep your mouth shut about my mate or I'll cut your tongue out.”

“Don't threaten MY mate.” Natasha replied coming to her own man's defense.

The two woman glared at one another there primal instinct to defend their mate over riding friends ship in those moments.

Bucky defused the situation by squeezing Darcy's hand. “I don't remember trying to kill you. If Doll says we are allies we are allies.”

Darcy smiled at him sadly. She kissed his head. “I'm not one of Hydra, you don't have to follow me blindly.”

“But I am blind. I know nothing but my skills and my mission.”

“Your only mission is to stay with me.” She told him leaning forward to kiss his cheek before moving back to have a seat but keeping her hand on his shoulder. She looked at the others. “What I've learned over the many years of being with him is that if he tries to force the memories, or someone tries to make him remember,” at that she glared at Steve. “Then they cause him great pain. It has to be excruciating because it's enough to make him cry out. If we just let it be and don't bring up the past then his mind starts clearing the longer he's away from Hydra.”

“So he doesn't know he's Bucky but he will?” Steve said with hope in his eyes.

Darcy smiled. “When we were last together I took him to lunch, our first real date. At the end when Hydra shot him with a tranquilizer dart, just before he passed out he said Bucky, which I assumed was his name.” She smiled cheekily, “and he had a NY accent toward the end.”

“Don't forget him calling you Doll.” Nat added. Her smile at Darcy was closer to an apology than she thought she would get.

“Better than the first time we met and he called me kid. Ann thought my mate was some pedo.”

“He is 91.” Steve replied with a smile glade that there was hope for his friend. “This is Sam Wilson by the way.”

“I know I already have your and Nat's wedding planned.” She replied with a grin.

The man looked shocked then turned bright red.

“But that will have to wait until after the Banner wedding this Christmas. Betty asked me, you and Pepper to be brides maids. Turns out she doesn't have many close friends. Her father being a hard ass general and all that.”

“Yeah your dad calling Captain America a freak is not going to fly in many circles.” Natasha replied.

Steve blushed. “So Darcy how did you and Bu... your mate, meet.”

“I was overly curious and walked into a house with an ajar door. He came down the steps coved in blood.”

“So you screamed and ran?” Sam asked.

“No I asked what it was and if her was hurt.” She replied. “I was a weird kid.”

“Only you.” Nat said with a head shake.

“What are you talking about? Tony met Rhodey when he was arrested, Bruce's mate's dad tries to kill him, you and Sam met while Hydra was trying to take over the world, Pepper met her mate while crying in the bathroom after Tony was kidnapped, Jane ran Thor over. The only normal one is Clint and Laura.” Darcy replied.

“Nope. Laura met Clint when she found him half dead having been was shot on a mission.” The red head replied.

“Barton has a mate?” Steve asked

“Yes. She's really sweet and we do not talk about her where others can hear.” Darcy said. “She's not like us, not in danger from his life.”

Steve nodded.

“Cassandra.” Bucky said out of the blue. Rubbing his head he added. “Like Cassandra.”

Steve's eyes widened. “Yeah like Cassy.” HE looked at the others with a big grin. “That was Dum Dum's girl back home. We only talked about her in camp after Jim's mate was killed by spies. She was a classy dame.”

“Mean right hook.” Bucky added still rubbing his head.

“If it hurts push the memories away.” Darcy told him rubbing his shoulder. “It'll come in time.”

“He may be remembering faster due to your imprint. Meeting for so many years might be fighting what ever they did to him.” Natasha speculated.

“I hope so. If not we can always go on a rode trip so Steve doesn't trigger any spells. Sorry Cap.” She told him honestly.

Steve nodded. “We've been apart for over 70 years. I think I can wait a few more for his health. I did take on a whole camp of German soldiers with almost no training back in the war.” The man said with a smile.

“You were smaller then.” He said wincing.

“So Bruce and Betty are getting married.” Natasha changed the subject seeing the worry on Darcy's face.

“Over Christmas, yes.”

“I guess staying with Stark till the wedding would be too bad.”

Darcy chuckled. “Come with us Sam?” she asked. “Darcy by the way, Darcy Lewis. Sorry about earlier.”

“No problem there ma'am. I get defending your mate. Hell my mom once nearly scalped a woman in the grocery for saying something racist about my dad. And joining the Avengers... Hell yeah.” He paused for a beat to smile. “I'd like to see what the cyborg can do on the right side.”

“I bet he knocked Starks teeth in in a week.” Steve said with a grin to Sam.

“Why do you say that?” Natasha asked a bit leery.

“Because that's what he did last time another guy hit on his girl, they weren't even mates.”

“He did kill the head of SHIELD because he threatened you.” Natasha said.

Darcy groaned dropping her head onto Bucky's shoulder. “You can't put Tony in traction. We need him up and about to help clean up what's left of Hydra.” She told her mate kissing the side of his neck near her head.

“What ever you say Doll.” He replied having no clue who Stark or Tony were.

“Remember that and we will have a long and happy life together.” Darcy told him planting another kiss just as they landed.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally done. This epilogue turned into a beast.  
> Sorry it came out slower than the others but classes just started and they have taken back possession of my brains and time.
> 
> I will go back and edit this whole work but I don't know when I will have the time or inspiration to do so.

Time seemed to pass differently for Darcy with Bucky at her side. The first few months were... annoying. Steve was a hovering mother hen that didn't want to let his best friend out of his sight. His attitude was making Bucky's temper rise, and by default Darcy's as well. Which lead to an explosion in the middle of breakfast.

Steve was fussing over what Bucky was eating and Darcy just snapped. She dumped her steaming oatmeal over his head.

“Bucky is a grown ass man and can eat whatever the fuck he wants!” She shouted. “He is not a child, not an invalid and you Rogers are not his MOTHER! So stop it!” She was all but shrieking. Bucky had been trying to control his own temper scared of what would happen. Scared he'd slip back into the Winter Soldier. He had been acting almost meek rather than accidentally hurt someone. “And you.” Darcy continued turning on her mate. “You need to quit acting like a push over. You are the only one that thinks you're going to fly off the handle at the drop of the hat. My mate is a badass, not someone that lets people walk all over him and treat him like a child.” With that final declaration Darcy turns about and stomps out of the kitchen to go cool off.

“She's got a point.” Sam says in the wake of Darcy's temper. “You are being an ass Captain.”

“I would have shot you by now.” Nat adds her two cents her back against the wall and her feet in Sam's lap.

Bucky looked between the door where Darcy left and Steve. “You were my friend. You are not my mother, and not acting like a friend.” He tells the other man going to follow Darcy.

Steve looks after the other soldier face slack in shock. He stands and leaves not only the room but the tower to try and get his head on right.

He ends up wandering the city in a half daze until he enters a random bar. Steve doesn't even look at the bartender as he takes a seat and puts his head down.

“ _It must be bad to see you here this early.”_ Was said in a light tenor as a glass of bourbon was set at his elbow.

Steve didn't ever register the words before gulping the drink and replying. _“God I wish I could get drunk.”_ Half to himself and half to the man behind the bar.

The man chuckled. “On the house.” HE said sitting the whole bottle on the bar.

Their exchange penetrated his mind after the second glass. “Shit.” He said putting his head in his hands.

The bartender just chuckled the noise deeper than his speaking voice. “That bad?”

“I've been babying my best friend who's mate is responsible for the oatmeal still in my hair and now my mates first impression of me is a guy that drinks liquor at nine in the morning.”

He chuckled again. “I'm Ansel by the way. Ansel Hart, and you are not the first desperate soul that's dropped in at an ungodly hour to have a drink because the day started out shit and the only options are drink, rage or cry.”

“Steve Rogers.” He replied looking up at the man.

He was tall, about Bucky's height, but slim. His hair was jet black and just long enough to give him a just sexed look. Ansel's skin was a nice caramel tone that told Steve he had Native American in him, but his eyes they were something else. The iris was also black, so dark that is not for a thin ring of yellow around the pupil there would be no distinguishing the two.

“Your eyes.” He said in shock.

Ansel gave a half smile. “My parents use to debate if I was a mutant or not. In the light they go slitted like a cat's and my vision and hearing are better than any humans should be, but that's it. No fancy powers or other strange mutations. You wouldn't believe the number of people that ask if I have a tail.” He finished with another chuckle.

Steve joined him chuckling. “I'm not a mutant, well I wasn't born one. Now, hell if I know.” HE said emptying his glass again. “But I meant what I said, I can't get drunk. Most people that have the guts to ask want to know if I feel pain.”

Ansel smirked. “Do you?”

“Hell yes. Just because I can keep fighting doesn't mean it doesn't hurt like hell.”

Ansel smiled. “You have a bit of a potty mouth, or is that just when you're feeling sorry for your self and trying to drink away the problem?”

Steve groaned and flopped him head back onto the bar. “I'm not usually this pathetic. And no it's the bar. Ever since...” he took another drink. “Since the first night we became a team the others tried to get me drunk and Dum Dum,” Steve chuckled sadly, “the more he drank the worse his mouth got. I guess over the years I picked up the habit of cursing and liquor going hand in hand.”

“That makes sense I guess. Is Dum Dum the one you were mothering?”

Steve shook his head. “He died years ago. No I was oppressing my best friend Bucky. He's... well he's been missing for a few years and...” Steve made a vague wave.

“And you're scared he'll leave again so you're clinging.” Ansel finished for him. Steve nodded with a groan. Ansel chuckled. “Can he get drunk?”

Steve looked at him and shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“Here take this as a peace offering.” Ansel handed him an unopened bottle of Jose Cuervo. “Now go make up. You know where to find me.”

Steve stood and thanked his mate.

As he was about at the door Ansel called. “And Captain if all else fails let him take a pound of flesh.”

Steve looked back at him. “How?”

“Steve Rogers, friends Bucky and Dum Dum. You and the Commandos are part of most history classes.” He replied with a smirk.

Steve rubbed the back of his head blushing lightly. “Oh. See you latter.”

“If I don't see you sooner.” Ansel replied as Steve left the bar.

This time he made sure to remember it's location. Once things with Bucky were settled he planned to come back and really woo his mate.

 

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

 

The liquor and an heartfelt apology helped smooth things over. Darcy was much quicker to tell Steve when he was stepping over the line, not just with Bucky but the rest of the team too. Ansel when he moved into the tower a month latter helped her. He was an undergrad going to NYU for a degree in abnormal psychology, which was what made him such a good bartender. Ansel said his attitude was a manifestation of survivors guilt from the war and waking up to find all his friends dead. So he was now clinging to his new friends tighter. The death of Coulson so soon after his defrosting had just made the condition worse.

With an explanation for his personality the team was better able to deal with his mothering. It had been causing issues because the others thought it was a slight against them. Learning Steve didn't mean it that way, and most of the time didn't even realize he was doing released a lot of tension.

 

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

 

The day before the banner wedding Darcy received an angry call over what looked to her like the two way mirrors from Harry Potter. Jane as it turned out was pregnant and Thor refused to let her come to Earth for Christmas. The little Doctor let out a stream of curses in Asgardian that Darcy was sure would make a sailor blush, even if she didn't understand any of them. Jane told her about Thor's other brother Balder who was such a dude-bro he was more annoying, and narcissistic than Loki. And the only two woman she could stand were Sif and Hel. Freya was driving Jane mad. The woman/ goddess loved to mention how Sif and Thor had once been engaged, and how at least Sif could handle herself in a fight.

Darcy couldn't help but chuckle. “So why not ask Sif to help you learn how to defend yourself? Or ask Hel. Doesn't she have some awesome magic powers? I can't see you with a sword and shield but a dagger and some spells might shut them up. What about Heimdall? What I've read of the myths he seems nice enough.” Darcy asked

“Heimdall is nice enough but he rarely leaves the bifrost and Thor's got me all but confined to the castle.” Jane replied.

“You can't let him push you around Jane. Thor's just being all macho and overprotective, We were having the same problem with Steve. You have to put your foot down. Bring his mother into it. I'm sure the badass Frigga was in all the stories she wouldn't have put up with him acting like that.”

Jane nodded. “Thanks Darcy I'll try that. So how are things on Earth?”

“Good. I finally captured my mate and we are living with the other Avengers. Turns out he's Steve's best friend Bucky Barns.”

“Really? How did he survive?” Jane asked in shock

“He had his mind wiped, and all but indoctrinated by the Hydra. My being his mate was the only thing strong enough to break through. He's still not got all his memories back but the gaps get smaller every day and he's no longer in pain when trying to remember something.”

“Oh honey.” She said sadly. “That must have been awful. What else?”

“The rest of the team found their mates. Natasha is mated to a man named Sam. He's a normal person but flies this awesome one man suit. Steve's mate is Ansel, a man studying to be a psychologist, and is also a bartender.”

“A bartender? I guess that's the best place to get in some practical practice.” Jane added.

“Bruce and his mate Betty are getting married tomorrow afternoon, before heading to Tony's private island, yes he owns an island, for their honeymoon. Speaking of, the man is still denying himself his mate. He even tried asking Pepper out.”

Jane shook her head. “He's a genius but an idiot. What about Pepper? Has she found her mate yet?”

“Yep.” Darcy replied with a chuckle. “They found each other when Pepper went with Natasha to the Xavier Institute to talk about Nat and Sam adopting one of the mutant babies. Her name is Lorna Dane. She can control magnets and is seriously cool. She had green hair. Tony says they are the Christmas couple, with her hair being green and Pepper's red.”

Jane chuckled “I bet that went over well.”

“Oh, yeah. She fried his suit. It was awesome.” Darcy replied.

“So did Natasha get to adopt?” Jane asked getting back to catching up on all she missed.

“They are in the final stages of adoption now, but the little girl, Rahne, is already living with us. She is the cutest. She's only four and and shape shifts into the fluffiest little puppy you could ever imagine. I have pictures.” Darcy pulled out her phone and showed Jane the little ball of brown fluff that would one day become Wolfsbane.

“Too cute.” She gushed.

The two chatted away for over an hour until Bucky came back to their rooms from training with Steve.

“Sorry Jane but I have to go. It was great chatting. I miss you so much.”

“Miss you too. Have fun and be careful.” Jane told her. She worried about her friend living with super heroes.

 

The Banner wedding went off with out a hitch Thank all the gods.

 

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

 

The middle of March, Dr. Numb Nuts (Tony's name for him), AKA Reed Richards, had just opened a portal to another dimension and the Fantastic Four were ill prepared to deal with the things coming through it.

The creatures weren't all the strong, but the volume of them saw the whole team called out, save Thor who was still on Asgard. Pepper was at a meeting in Malabu, Ansel was taking an exam and Betty was giving a lecture at Oxford so it was just Rahne and Darcy left at the tower in the capable hands of Jarvis.

That was till a second portal opened near the roof of the tower and it was soon flooded with beasts. Rahne was terrified and unable to shift into her animal form so Darcy held her close and used the taser Tony had made for her to try and get out of the building. It almost worked. Until one of the things leaped onto her back knocking her down the last flight of stairs. Darcy curled around Rahne protecting the little girl with her body.

 

Everything seemed to freeze as Bucky let out an inhuman roar. He changed directions now mercilessly cutting down everything between him and the tower as he began to run full pelt toward his nearly defenseless mate. He had no doubt in her ability against thugs or even the low grade Hydra grunt but she wasn't trained or equipped to protect a child and fight a swarm of alien dinos the size of Great Danes.

Natasha seeing where he was headed cried out. “Rahne!” and raced after him her maternal instincts on high. She was running as fast as she could following the cleared path behind the super soldier but by the time she arrived he had still killed most of the beasts circling the prone body. Nat left the creatures to him knowing that his anger and fear would need that outlet.

She turned Darcy over to find Rahne safe beneath the other woman. She was clung to Darcy and crying her eyes out. Nat scooped her up and shushed her daughter telling her everything was fine. While she was calming her little girl she also checked Darcy. There was a gash and large knot already forming on her forehead.

“Bucky, Darcy's hurt we need to get her to the hospital.”

Bucky let out an animistic growl as he stalked over. The last of the creatures shied away from him sensing a more powerful predator. He scooped his mate up and began heading for the nearest ER. Pepper had made sure everyone knew where it was in case something happened to the tower and they couldn't use the medical facility there.

“Tony, call the hospital tell them we are on our way with a head injury, other conditions unknown.” Nat said over the comm her voice oddly even and detached as she once again trailed Bucky.

The medical staff were waiting for them when they arrived and took Darcy as soon as Bucky cleared the doors he didn't want to let her go but knew he had to.

The wait was agonizing. During that time Rahne was given a clean bill of health her worst injury being a scrape on her hand, her mutant powers were already speeding the healing. Bucky paced back and forth making everyone in the ER nervous. That was until the rest of the team arrived. Civilians were a lot calmer with Iron Man and Captain America on the scene.

Two hours latter the doctor came out. “Lewis family.” He said causing the whole team to either stand or turn to look at him. Looking over the super heroes he decided to bend the rules and took them all back.

They were on the other side of glass looking into Darcy's room where she was sleeping. “Who is her next of kin?” He asked

“I'm her mate.” Bucky replied.

“Oh. That confirms my theory.” They looked at him. “With a blow to the head as severe as hers there is always the chance of memory loss. I'm sorry sir but her mark has gone unreadable.” He gave them the news.

Bucky just nodded. He pushed up his own sleeve to see his mark and like the doctor said it had changed. He rolled it back down. “IS everything else alright?”

The doctor looked at him odd. Most patient's families had some kind of reaction to that news. “um well. She had three broken ribs and a compound fracture on her ankle, we put in some pins. Other than that and the concussion it's all scrapes and bruises. She should be fine, but don't expect her to be walking on that leg for at least a month. It's the memory that we have to worry about. We won't know how much she's lost or how long it will stay gone until she wakes. Normally we only let two visitors at a time in with her...” He held up his hands to stall their angry response. “But since this is a special case I'll look the other way if you all stay.”

There was a tense silence as they all waited for Darcy to wake. When she finally began to everyone watched her like a hawk.

“Adam?” she said slowly coming to. She looked at all there faces without recognition.

“Darcy?” Natasha said coming to her side and taking her hand.

 _“Do you remember me?”_ Bucky asked on the other side looking down at her. She looked so small and lost

Darcy looked him over then her eyes landed on the metal arm. She reached for it. Bucky let her have his mechanical hand. She ran her fingers over the notches that allowed it to move like a normal hand, but she didn't reply.

Bucky cupped her cheek with his other hand. She looked up at him. _“I don't like you looking so sad.”_ she said softly. She turned back to Nat. “Where am I and where is my brother?”

“You're in the hospital. Your brother Adam died in Afghanistan years ago.” the woman replied.

“Stark.”

“That's me.” Tony said wondering why she remembered him.

“No, Stark and Adam dieing.” She tried to clarify rubbing her head and gripping Bucky's hand tighter.

“Her brother was in the Humvee with you.” Clint said clarifying.

Tony looked at them in shock. He had looked up the names of the people that were killed in the attack but had never associate the two. There were thousands of Lewis' in the US alone.

“How are you feeling?” Steve asked with a soft smile.

“Like shit.” Darcy replied. “Head hurts, leg hurts and I feel all floaty, someone gave me drugs. I don't like drugs.” She sounded totally out of her head.

Clint came over. “Hey Darcy, don't worry. I hate the drugs too, the best thing to do is sleep them off.”

She made an 'umm' noise and curled around Bucky's arm she'd been holding.

 

Darcy was cleared to leave the hospital the next day. Her memories were scattered and sporadic. She didn't seem to recognize any of them. When they arrived back at the tower Jane had strong armed Thor into bringing her to Earth. The doctor was more filled out that when she left, the baby weight still clinging to her.

“Darcy!” She called coming over and hugging the life out of the other girl not even seeming to notice Bucky who was carrying her.

Darcy looked at her for a while before recognition lit in her eyes. “Jane.” She replied and hugged her back. She looked over at Thor. “I tased you. I never forget a face I've tased. Who are you again?”

“I am Thor son of Odin, little lightning sister.” He said coming over and taking her hand.

“You're brother's a dude-bro.” She said which didn't make sense to anyone other than the now blushing Dr. Foster.

“Dude-bro?” Tony asked.

“He's very narcissistic.” Jane said trying to sound diplomatic. “That was told to you in confidence.” she added in a hiss to Darcy.

“Sorry sisters before ridiculously hot misters. Got it.”

“She's still on drugs.” Sam said as Clint and Tony were now laughing and even Natasha was chuckling at the comment.

“So this is your mate?” Jane asked

“I can't remember.” Darcy says with a wicked grin. “But I'm sure as hell playing along till I do. Have you seen all this.” She waves her arm gesturing to all of Bucky who is now red.

“Darcy dear.” Jane replied and motions to Thor.

Darcy looked him over. “Mines better he's a cyborg, I've always wanted to date a cyborg.” Her face went serious. “Ever since I was little.... the hurting metal man was there.” She rubbed her head trying to grip the fragment. She winced and lay her head on Bucky's shoulder. “My head hurts and I'm tired.”

Bucky nodded and turned to take her to her room.

 

Jane looked after her sadly before an idea sparked. “I know what she needs.” The Doctor said. “I think I know just the thing to jog her memories.”

“What?” Clint asked. He really cared about her and didn't like seeing Darcy less than her normal strong self.

“An old coat.”

“A coat? He's had head trauma not a cold.” Tony replied.

“What kind of coat?” Steve asked rolling his eyes.

“I don't know. I only say it once, but it was treated like some kind of precious gem. She's had it as long as I remember. If we find the coat I bet it jogs something.” Jane told them

The others nodded and headed down to her rooms.

“What are you all doing?” Bucky asked when everyone showed up at the door.

“Darcy has a special coat that Jane thinks might help her remember.” Natasha told him.

“So we're going to search for it.” Clint said.

“Darcy might not be happy with us snooping but if it gets her better I don't really care.” Jane said

Bucky nodded. Having Steve and Darcy there to help jump start his memories had made it easier. If this coat could do the same he'd gladly suffer the consequences.

 

The coat wasn't hard to find, Tony pulled the box from under her bed. “Bucky is this yours?”

he asked lifting up the large mans coat.

Bucky came over and looked at it. “I don't know. Fashion was never really my thing.”

“That's it.” Jane said. “That's the coat.”

“It's a mans.” Clint said. “Maybe it was her brother's or her father's?” Darcy didn't bring up her family often and none of the team really wanted to reciprocate so they never asked.

“It must have been a gift.” Steve said. “It's too big for her and it's rather plain, it can't have any real value other than sentiment.”

Bucky's hands clinched his fists. His only thought was on how this could have been from her first boyfriend or some other man in her life. Jealousy coursed through him. He marched into Darcy's room to sit with her so he didn't have to look at the thing.

 

She woke a while latter in more pain but with a clearer head since the meds had worn off. Bucky was staring off into the distance anger still etched in his face.

“What happened?” She asked “What's with the face?”

“Nothing.” He replied trying to soften the words Bucky refused to be harsh with Darcy. HE was always worried he'd lose control of his mind or strength, even for a second and he could snuff out her precious life, and that was a terrifying thought. “Jane has something to show you.”

“Oh?” She asked. Regardless of what they were or how much they cost she just loved getting gifts. The psychologist she was sent too as a child had a lot to say about that and her emotional state but Darcy didn't really care.... and right now she didn't remember.

Bucky saw the excitement on her face and sighed. To make her happy he would bare hearing her talk about another man. He scooped her up. “Let's go and see.” he said with resignation.

 

“Bucky said you have a present for me?” she asked making grabby hands.

Jane chuckled. “Darcy loves gifts, and surprises..... well surprise parties.” She told Bucky with a tolerant smile. “It's not really a gift. I know you may not remember but this was very dear to you and I thought I might jog your memories.” She said picking up the coat and handing it to her where Bucky had sat her in her over stuffed papasan chair.

Darcy felt of the coat her eyebrows drawn together. She lifted it to her nose and smelled the lining. “I remember this.” She said slowly trying to work out how she knew it and why it was important.

Her hand slipped into the inner pocket as if by it's own mind. She pulled out a little baggy with something wrapped in paper inside. Taking out the item and lay it on the table so all the others could see. Inside the tissue paper were five small pieces of paper.

She picked up the first one. On it were words in crayon. “What are you doing here kid?” She read. Her face twisted in farther confusion. On the back of the little piece of paper in loopy pen but better written was: “Are you hurt?”

Bucky and her were both dragged into the past. The night they first met. “That was you. The metal man in red.” Darcy said sounding winded.

“And you were the little girl in the giant sucker.” Bucky replied. He snorted “Where did you even get that thing?”

“I was cute and adorable.” she replied with a smile. “Who could resist me?”

That got a full chuckle out of him and a few snickers from the rest of the team. “No one if they want their coffee on time.” Tony added causing the others to join him chuckling.

Once they had all calmed Clint looked at her. “Will you read the rest?”

Darcy looked around the room. All the pieces weren't fulling back into place but she didn't care something in her gut said these people were her friends she nodded taking the next one.

“I said; Please, Please don't let them hurt me.”

Bucky's face darkened in rage. “They were going to rape you.” Steve's face turned stony and Thor for once looked like a warrior god and not a lovable puppy.

Darcy nodded, tuning over the paper she giggled. “You asked me why I was naked.”

“They were going to... violate her you idiot.” Sam said sounding righteously angry as well.

Darcy laughed harder. “No they hadn't done anything yet. He was being an old geezer about my booty shorts and break neck heels.”

“Booty shorts?” Jane asked with a small smile.

“Yes, short enough her bottom was hanging out.” Bucky added with a small blush, “I've seen underwear larger than that top. What were you thinking?”

“That is was my not so sweet 16 and I could wear what ever the fuck I wanted.” She replied with a bit of a snap. That was getting to close to the ever touchy subject of her family.

“Where were you?” Steve asked catching on.

“Industrial park.” She replied giving him a look that said back off her tone frosty.

There was an awkward silence.

“When was the next time you two met?” Natasha asked.

Darcy smiled. “It was right after college.”

“That time you got lost in Russia?” Clint asked

Darcy nodded. “Yep. Here I was walking to Moscow, having been lost in the country I wasn't leaving until I saw the place, and BAM, the wall of the building right in front of me is knocked down by him.” She said not even realizing she was beginning to sound more like her usual self as the pieces were fitting back into place as she read the different words she had carried through out her life.

“So he gets up all cover in blood, and I say; Can't you stay out of trouble?”

“She then tells the leader of the Moscow version of the mob to fuck off in slightly accented Russian.” Bucky picked up with the shake of his head.

“The guy pointed a gun at me and Bucky blew him away.” Darcy said with a shrug. “He then turns and asks why he protected me.”

Thor clapped Bucky on the back. “You are a true mate. Defending Lady Darcy without question. I am honored to fight beside you.”

Bucky looked at Thor like he was a few marbles shy of a set. That's twice he killed in front of her.

To save her mate from her (sort of) brother in law. Darcy read the next one. “When will you stop running from me?, and I don't run, Doll.” Darcy gave a sweet smile. “That was the third time you called me Doll. Your face when you said it, It was like even you were shocked at the words.”

“I was. When I first saw you following me I thought you were working with them. Those big eyes, it was always the eyes, they clicked in my mind, someplace deep even Hydra can't reach.”

“The primitive centers of the brain that link mates.” Bruce said. “They are why no one can force you to kill your mate.”

“One of the doctors talked about it. They knew who she was but they said since she was part of SHIELD she would be easy to control and contain. Pierce was worried her death would break the indoctrination.” Bucky told them very clinically as if her wasn't phased by the words even though that was the farthest thing from the truth. In truth he was pretty sure Pierce was right. By that time Dacy had already worked her way deep inside of him and he would have known if she was gone.

“That was the time I watched them take you. I never knew what hate and helplessness was until I saw Hydra drug you and drag you away.” She said tearing up and pulling his arms around her where he was standing behind the chair.

Natasha looked at them. “That was the time you called and asked me to teach you how to kill.”

“It was.” Darcy replied even though it wasn't a question. Bucky tensed. “Don't even. I would have a done a lot worse to Pierce if you had let him live. After that day I spent weeks very unhealthily looking up different tortures around the world. I might not be much of a fighter but for you.... for any of you I would do it in a heart beat. No one and I mean no one hurts my family without going through me.” None of them doubted her. There was a fire in her eyes, a look that said she would hate to kill, hate but not hesitate.

“What's next Darcy?” Steve asked kindly after a moment of silent acceptance of her vow them all adding their silent agreement. They would all kill, or die for each other, the team had grown into a family.

Darcy and Bucky were both silent.

“The last time we met was that day on the tarmac. I stood between his grenade launcher and the loyal members of SHIELD.” Darcy told them in a quiet voice fingering the post it note with that mark on it. “Bruce hand me a piece of stationary.” She pointed to the small stack of decorative paper she had bought on a whim because it was cute.

He handed her the pad and a pen with a smile. She turned Bucky's flesh arm over and copied the words putting her own below it. She then added the page to the pile and kissed his elbow. “I think six is my new lucky number.”

Bucky smiled down at her warmly. “Mine too.” 

 


End file.
